The Taste of Vengeance
by wind of heaven
Summary: No one was aware of the fact that Nanao had a devious side. Shunsui was no exception. Oneshot, slight ShunsuiNanao.


I was reading BlackVelvetBand's _A Test of Affection_ when I came across the prompts for her Shunsui/Nanao challenge. Although the challenge is long over (I believe they've announced the winners already), the first prompt got stuck in my mind, and I thought it'd be fun to write a story using the prompt without entering the challenge.

I'm new at this (most of the time I stick with reading fanfiction, not writing it), so comments are greatly appreciated. There's no specific time frame; I suppose it would make the most sense if this occured before any of the plot of Bleach began, although it could occur at any time.

So here we go: a oneshot using prompt #1: blue haori, crushed glasses, and the quote "slippery sea monster."

* * *

The Taste of Vengeance  
windofheaven

"Nanao-chan!" Captain Shunsui Kyouraku sang as he flew through the doors of the Eighth Division office.

"_What?_" Assistant Captain Nanao Ise snarled in reply.

Shunsui stopped short and contemplated his vice-captain. On any given day, her appearance was always immaculate. Her hair would be held back in its usual clip, without a single strand out of place. Her glasses would be sitting straight on her nose, polished clean, the lenses clear so as not to hinder her eagle-eyed glare when she told her captain off for drinking too much, not doing the paperwork, chasing after anything with breasts, or any combination of the above.

Today, however, there were a few stray strands of hair out of place, and if he looked closely enough, he could see that her glasses were slightly askew. Her robes seemed rather rumpled, too, and her eyes looked tired, as if she had spent the entire night doing paperwork without stopping to change clothes or even sleep. Why, he thought, his Nanao-chan looked….. _frazzled_.

"Why, my dear Nanao-chan," Shunsui said, astonished, "how is it that you have gotten to look so worn out?"

Nanao bristled. Being told that she looked _worn out_ first thing in the morning – okay, first thing in the afternoon – was not something that any girl wished for. "I don't know, Captain Kyouraku. Why don't you guess?"

Shunsui eyed her warily. It was never a good sign when she told him to _guess_ about something. His Nanao-chan wasn't one who supported guessing – she would much rather have the facts, straight and indisputable. He, however, liked guessing. It was much more up his alley than paperwork, anyway.

He leaned against the doorway and folded his arms across his chest as he thought about what could be the cause of her disheveled appearance. It was barely noon, so it couldn't be the fact that he was late to show up at the office – _again_. After all, he normally came in much later than this – sometimes as late as nightfall.

Could it be because there was a lot more paperwork than usual? He glanced at the towering stacks of paper on her desk and the floor around it. Nope, they weren't any bigger than usual – in fact, the completed stacks were much larger than the unfinished ones. His Nanao-chan certainly had been productive this morning.

Perhaps it was because he had spent last night out drinking with Rangiku instead of helping her complete said paperwork. But really, he could count the number of times he _had_ sacrificed his nightly drinking binge to do paperwork in the last few centuries on one hand, so that couldn't be it either.

Coming to the happy conclusion that it was nothing he had done, he straightened and sauntered over to her desk, reaching over it to play with the ends of her hair. "I haven't the slightest clue, Nanao-chan. Why don't you tell me?"

She slapped his hand away in a practiced motion. "I've been doing paperwork all day, sir, and most of last night. That's not what's really got to me, though. What I'm frustrated about is how to deal with _this_."

She shoved a rather hefty stack of paper into his face with both hands. He would have ignored it if his eyes hadn't caught the words "Slippery Sea Serpent" on the first page. That was the name of his favorite brand of sake. It was also the title of one of the many absurd songs he sang whenever he was drunk, which was quite often. Curious, he took the stack and scanned through the first few pages. "And what might _this_ be?"

"That's the sake bill for this month. Sir."

Shunsui flipped to the last page and stared at it. "The entire Eighth Division drank five hundred and eighty-nine bottles of sake this month?" He paused, incredulous. "That's _it_?"

"No," Nanao hissed through her teeth with barely restrained impatience, "_you_ drank five hundred and eighty-nine bottles of sake this month. Which, I might add, totals up to more than all the other expenses combined. We added that policy about each person having to pay his own sake bills last month, remember?"

"Ohhhh, _that_ policy. I remember." (It was obvious he didn't.) "Well, then, five hundred and eighty-nine bottles, eh? That's not so bad. Not bad at all. Although I believe my personal record was six hundred and twenty-seven bottles in one month. And it was February, too." He beamed at her, as if expecting congratulations on his outstanding track record.

"With all due respect, sir," she said, "as captain, I don't believe you should make it your personal goal to outdrink yourself every month."

"Oh, pshh," he replied. "I need to work towards something, don't I? Anyway, my personal goals aren't important right now. You must be famished, Nanao-chan! When was the last time you ate? Put down that pen and come with me to the mess hall. I can't have my Nanao-chan fainting on my because she didn't get enough to eat, now can I? Although I'm sure it would be a most pleasant experience." He grinned roguishly at her.

"I will eat when I finish this paperwork, Captain," she said testily. "After all, _someone_ has to pay these bills."

"Oh no," he argued, "you work far too hard. Let your captain take care of you, for once. You look terrible," he added as he pulled her out from her seat. "You have some hair out of your clip. Here, let me." He reached towards her.

"I can fix it myself, thank you very much, sir." She reached up to adjust her clip.

"Your glasses are crooked, too," he said, as if he hadn't heard her. "Let me fix that for you –"

"No!" She moved to slap his hand away again, but by the time she made contact, he had already gotten hold of her glasses. They fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Now look what you've done," she fumed, then stopped when she saw her captain's wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression. "What? _What??_"

"Nanao," he breathed. "I've never seen you without your glasses before. You look… _exquisite_." He took a step towards her.

She backed up unsteadily. It was never a good sign when he dropped the ending of his customary nickname for her. It sent shivers down her spine. She still wasn't exactly sure if they were out of fear or… anticipation.

"Captain," she warned, though her voice wavered, "I must protest this unprofessional behavior." She took another step back as he continued to stalk her. _Like an animal_, her mind told her, and the thought wasn't reassuring in any way. "It isn't right for a captain to speak that way to his subordinate. Anyone can come in at any moment," she added desperately, as it seemed he either wasn't hearing a word she said or was ignoring her completely.

"Truly," he said, still staring at her, "I've never seen anything more beautiful." He took another step forward, and she hastily scrambled back two. "Your glasses take away from the shape of your face." Another step, another effort at retreat. "Your eyes are so blue, like –"

_Crunch._

Shunsui froze.

Nanao blinked.

Both looked down to the floor, where they saw a few pieces of bent metal and several shards of glass protruding out from under Shunsui's foot – all that was left of Nanao's glasses.

"Oh, no!" Shunsui exclaimed in horror. "I'm so sorry, Nanao-chan! I'll clean that up right away and send for a replaceme—no, don't touch that!"

In disbelief, Nanao had swooped down to pick up the remaining pieces of her precious glasses, only to drop them with a gasp. Blood glistened on the sharp edges of the glass, and several drops fell to the floor.

"You're hurt!" Shunsui grabbed her hand and brought it close to his chest, wrapping his prized pink haori around her injured fingers and binding them tight. "There – we need to keep pressure on it – that should do until I can get you to Fourth –"

"You mean, until _I_ get to Fourth."

Shunsui paused at the chilly tone of her voice. She pulled her arm free of his grip and untangled herself from his haori. "Thank you, Captain, but I think I'll go there by myself."

"But – but –" he sputtered. "You're injured – isn't there anything I can –"

"I believe, sir," she said icily, "that you've done nearly enough." And with that, she strode through the doors of the office, closing it a little more forcefully than she normally would have.

Shunsui stared after her for a moment, then blew out a breath and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, boy," he muttered, "I've really done it now. She must be furious." He surveyed the room, his eyes resting on her broken glasses. The sight of the blood on the shards brought his attention to his haori. Sure enough, there was rapidly drying blood there, stark against the cheerful pink color of the flowers. "I'd better get this mess cleaned up, and send this to Cleaning & Laundry." He glanced ruefully at the stacks of unfinished paperwork on his assistant captain's desk. _And get all of this done, too, while I'm at it. Maybe then I'll have a chance at being forgiven._

Sighing, he went to work.

* * *

_Two weeks later_

"…and the fisherman came back only to find his wife had been caught by a slippery sea monster…"

Shunsui was singing on his way to pick up his newly cleaned haori. These past few weeks, he had been so busy doing paperwork and running around trying to reconcile himself with his assistant captain that he hadn't had time to stop by the Cleaning & Laundry and get his beloved pink haori. Nanao's replacement glasses had arrived a few days ago, and she had seemed in better spirits because of it. She had started speaking cordially to him, at least. That was a start.

He frowned as he thought about his vice-captain's behavior. That she was speaking to him was about the best he could say about their situation. Whenever he tried to tease her, she would clam up and glare at him. He was beginning to miss getting smacked by her fan or whatever book was heaviest and closest at hand. Nanao sure could hold a grudge.

"Oh, well," he said cheerfully as he swept into the Cleaning & Laundry building, causing several workers to jump in surprise, then look around to see whomever he was talking to. "It just means she's as stubborn as ever. That's my Nanao-chan – reliable as sunrise!"

A worker hurried up to him. "Captain Kyouraku, how may I help you?"

Shunsui beamed down at him. The prospect of getting his precious haori back was making him even more cheerful than usual. "I'm here to pick up my haori."

"Of course. Please wait just a moment, sir, while I go get it for you."

Humming to himself, Shunsui glanced around the room. Maybe he could order something to be made for his Nanao-chan. A kimono, maybe, and a haori to go with it. He'd bet anything that his Nanao looked absolutely lovely in pink.

The worker hurried back carrying a hanger and a garment bag. "Here you go, sir."

"Excellent!" Shunsui took the hanger from him and peeked into the bag. His eyes widened, the delighted expression on his face turning quickly into one of shocked disbelief.

"B-but… this is…"

* * *

"So, Nanao, what have you been up to lately?"

Nanao took a sip of tea as her friend chugged from a bottle of sake. Several other bottles were littered around the room, some full, most empty. The two were in Assistant Captain Matsumoto Rangiku's quarters, sharing a drink. Nanao, of course, had refused her dearest friend's offer of sake and had opted for tea instead.

"I have been making a study of vengeance."

Rangiku paused, her current bottle halfway to her lips. "Vengeance?"

Nanao smiled into her tea. "Yes, vengeance. I've always wondered what drives people to seek revenge for anything from fallen comrades to petty grudges. I wanted to know how vengeance is carried out, and once it has been completed, whether or not it is truly sweet, as the saying goes. I've made it my task to find out everything I can about the subject."

Rangiku eyed her friend warily. For some reason, the situation stunk of Shunsui. "And what have you found out about it?"

Nanao looked out the window. The cherry blossoms were just beginning to fall from the trees. They reminded her of her captain and his ridiculous pink haori. "I've discovered that vengeance is best taken after one has thought it out thoroughly. Each decision must be carefully considered, and each move must be taken with the greatest caution. Only then will one be able to enjoy it to the fullest." She tapped the edge of her cup thoughtfully. "I've yet to find out whether or not it actually tastes sweet, though I hope to receive the answer soon."

_Yep_, Rangiku thought, _definitely Shunsui._ "And how exactly are you going to – what was that?"

The thundering of what sounded like elephants stampeding through the Seireitei could be heard from the room, faint at first, but getting louder with each passing second. The table shook, tea sloshing over the sides of Nanao's cup. Rangiku leapt to collect her sake bottles and keep any of her precious sake from spilling out.

"What in the – "

"Nanao-chan!" The door flew open. Shunsui's large frame filled the opening. His breathing was ragged, the straw hat usually perched upon his head was missing, and he was holding a crumpled garment bag in one hand and a lump of cloth in the other.

Unfazed in the slightest, Nanao poured herself a fresh cup of tea, then lifted her eyes to meet her captain's gaze as she raised the cup to her lips. "Really, Captain, must you shout like that? I bet they could hear you all the way from First Division. And why in the world did you run all the way here? Why didn't you just shunpo?"

Shunsui strode into the room, ignoring her questions. He was obviously agitated. He dropped the garment bag and began to shake out the lump of cloth he had been holding. "I just came from Cleaning & Laundry, and they said that they had received special instructions to do – to do _this_!"

He held it up. At first, Rangiku didn't recognize it. When realization finally dawned, her eyes grew round and huge, and she stared first at the cloth, then at Shunsui's stricken expression, and finally at the impassive mask of Nanao's face.

It was Shunsui's prized haori, but it wasn't pink anymore. Now it was a deep shade of indigo that made one think of the ocean. There was no trace of the flowers that had previously adorned it. Instead, there were a lot of what could have been bubbles, and – was that a _snake_?

Still holding her cup of tea, Nanao cocked her head and studied the garment. "Why, yes, I _did_ give them some special orders. I do believe it's a big improvement from how it was before, with all that blood on it. That's a lovely shade of blue, don't you agree? And look, it even has that _slippery sea serpent_ you're always singing about."

Shunsui gaped at her. "But – but – " he spluttered. "It's – that's – Nanao-chan, how _could_ you?"

She looked up into his face. "What, you don't like it? That's too bad. I've heard that it's extremely difficult to get that shade of blue to stay in fabric, and even harder to get it out." She tapped her finger on the edge of her cup, a sign Rangiku recognized as one that meant she was up to something. "I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that there's a plant that is particularly effective at removing dyes… yes, it was… _Polygonum tinctorum_, I believe. It's also called – "

But Shunsui was already gone, the forgotten garment bag the only testimony to his very sudden and brief visit.

"Hmph." Nanao lifted her cup once again, a smile playing along the edges of her mouth. "At least he remembered to shunpo this time."

Rangiku stared at her in amazement. "But Nanao, _Polygonum tinctorum_ is a _blue_ dye! And it's only found in the human world!"

"Of course I know that." She raised an eyebrow at her astonished friend. "What do you think I asked Cleaning & Laundry to dye his haori with in the first place?" Draining the last of her tea, she set the cup on the table and rose to her feet. "Well then, now that my study of vengeance is complete, I should be getting back to the office. There's plenty of paperwork to be done."

Rangiku watched her stroll to the door, still open from Shunsui's abrupt departure. "Nanao?"

"Hmm?"

"What does vengeance taste like?"

Nanao paused in the doorway. She watched a cherry blossom fall from a tree, twisting and fluttering helplessly in the wind before being borne to the ground. Life, she thought, even here in Soul Society, was too short to live without any pleasures. The thought made her smile. It sounded like something that would come out of her captain's mouth, not hers.

"What does it taste like?" Nanao closed her eyes, as if savoring the moment. Unbeknownst to her, the smile on her face grew, spreading like sunlight until it brightened the room. If Shunsui ever saw her like this, Rangiku knew, with her face raised to the wind, an expression of both calm and amusement adorning it, he would finally fall off the edge, head over heels in love, and never look back. Now, if only Nanao would remove her glasses…

If only Rangiku knew what _that_ would lead to.

"…It's sweet," Nanao said at length. "Very sweet. Like sakura mochi." Still smiling, she glanced back into the room to catch the wide grin on Rangiku's face, then left, the cherry blossoms swirling madly in the wake of her shunpo.


End file.
